1. The Malaysian Insider (http://www.themalaysianinsider.com）
Differences over ‘Allah’ reach a new level , 1 February 2009
KUALA LUMPUR — Two members of the Cabinet appear on a collision course over the right of freedom of worship in the country and the use of the word “Allah’’ by a Catholic publication.
Their disagreement is a microcosm of the percolating tension in the country among the Muslim authorities and non-Muslims over issues related to race and religion, and could pose one of the most formidable challenges which Datuk Seri Najib Razak will face when he takes over as president of Umno and prime minister next month.
But more immediately, the “Allah’’ issue could have an impact on a by-election in Pensiangan, Sabah, which is likely to be called when a court rules on election irregularities soon.
At the centre of the controversy is the use of the world “Allah’’ by the Catholic Herald, a weekly publication with a circulation of 14,000.
The Catholic Church said that it has used the word “Allah’’ in the Bahasa Malaysia section of the publication for years but the Home Ministry disagreed, saying that the word was the preserve of followers of Islam in Malaysia.
The issue is now before the High Court with the Catholic Church seeking a ruling on the right to continue to use the word “Allah’’.
In the interim, the ministry has ruled that the Herald cannot use the word and also directed the weekly to only publish an English section. Due to the intervention of the Cabinet, the Home Ministry withdrew the order preventing the church from publishing a Bahasa Malaysia section.
Since then, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, leader of the Upko political party in Sabah and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, has urged the authorities to wait until the court decision before laying down the law.
He also noted that the usage of the word "Allah" should be viewed from the historical perspective since the terminology had come about when Bahasa Malaysia was used by the people even before Malaysia was formed.
He said it was the language used by the people of the Borneo territories even though English was used in most schools.
Dompok said the usage of "Allah" became more pronounced, especially after the importation of Bibles written in the Indonesian language, which refers to God as "Allah". He said the terminology is widely used in Indonesia and also in Arab countries by Christians.
"So it is a universal terminology used in the Christian world when they are praying in their vernacular language. There is no reason for the Home Ministry to continue harassing the Catholic Herald," he said.
His Cabinet colleague Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi hit back at Dompok yesterday. He told Mingguan Malaysia: “There are some non-Muslim leaders who are asking that permission be granted so that the word Allah can be used, using Indonesia as an example.
“This is Malaysia. Do not equate us with another country. We are an Islamic country as stated in the constitution,” he said, adding that there was a hidden agenda to use the word “Allah’’ in the Herald.
In raising this issue, he said that a small group of non-Muslim leaders were trying to question the position of Islam in Malaysia. Islam is the official religion under the Federal Constitution while the right of non-Muslims to worship is also protected.
“Don’t play with fire and challenge the Muslims. We are willing to do anything to protect our religion,” he warned.
Muslims have long feared that Christian groups are bent on preaching and converting followers of Islam. They see the use of the word “Allah’’ as a subtle way of spreading Christianity to Muslims — a charge church leaders have dismissed.
It is unlikely that both sides will back down. The Catholic Church has said that it will continue using the word “Allah” until the court decides on the case and Dompok is no shrinking violet.
One senses that when he speaks on this issue, he is representing the Kadazandusun community in Sabah, many of whom are Christian and many who believe their less religious landscape in East Malaysia is being polluted by the narrow-mindedness and chauvinism from federal authorities.
Their sentiment will be tested soon in Pensiangan. In March 2008, Tan Sri Joseph Kurup won the seat uncontested but in September, the Election Court ruled that the result was null and void. Kurup filed an appeal and the case is before the Federal Court. The apex court is expected to rule this month.
In the meantime, Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been meeting church leaders in Sabah to seek the support of the Christian community.
It is unlikely that Ahmad Zahid or other Umno leaders will back down and douse their fiery rhetoric.
This is the election season in the ruling party and candidates are expected to flag their commitment to the race and religion. Ahmad Zahid is seeking one of the three vice-president’s positions in Umno.
2. A Blog "Jebat Must Die" (http://www.jebatmustdie.wordpress.com）
Again, we are fortunate to have our regular reader Apocryphalist to send us an article regarding the issue of using Allah’s name in Malay bibles. This write up deals about a question - shouldn’t ’Allah’ be used in all bibles in the world too? An outlook that should be pondered by anyone. I hope this article will be read by the relevant authorities as well. Thank you.
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The illustrious Malaysian Christian community have repeatedly asked that the name of Allah be allowed to be used in their bible, and the Malaysian government has repeatedly disallowed it for reasons of purity and sanctity: that by doing so is like admitting that that same Allah is the one who has a begotten son, shares the credit of creation with 2 other godhoods or godheads and teaches that everyone is born in sin and therefore registers a place in hellfire unless he/she admits that this begotten son of his was let to die to redeem for that original sin. Of course what seems to be a minor religious quagmire has now turned to a pseudo-political major imbroglio especially when the muslims on the other hand assert that those very same entity by the name Allah refute those very dogmatic ideologies and (islamic-wise) blasphemies in the Quran. As long as both parties sweep the issue under the carpet, and not highlight too much on differences and focus on similarities and converging points of beliefs, the two religions enjoy peaceful and harmonious coexistence, especially on the top levels.
But the issue on deity names have been thought of as threading on the shaky paths of conflict. I have dealt with this issue in a writing on Nov 12, 8:21 am in a much more concise albeit humorous manner. I think it is time for the Christians in Malaysia to play a role if they really are serious about this issue: putting the name Allah in the bible should be allowed by the Government of Malaysia only if the local christians believe sincerely in their heart that this is the REAL name of God. And sincerity means they should not have any problem in doing the following:-
(i) To collectively write a petition to the Pope as the Head of the Catholic church to insert the name Allah in every issue of the bible. No new copies of the bible in whatever language existing in the world today should be printed without the name Allah replacing “God” or “Lord”
(ii) A similar letter to the heads of all other denominations of the christian churches the world over urging them to do the same.
(iii) A formal declaration by the Pope and other denomination heads ascertaining that the real name of the deity as mentioned in the bible is indeed Allah.
(iv) An admission that as far as truth is concerned, the direct word as spoken by Allah (in whichever scripture) takes precendence in truth compared to indirect references by any third party humans.
Oh what a great place the world would be if 3 billion people in the world believe in the same thing. With this in mind, will the Christians in Malaysia do it? Write this letter?
No? Thought so. Well if not, will they at least sign the petition below? We get a few thousand signatures, send it to the holy see, wait for a reply on the declarations as well as new bibles from Tanganyika right up to Alaska printed with the name Allah in it, and we get those bibles locally printed with the name Allah in it, all sponsored by the Malaysian government.
Onwards, Christian Soldiers. Quid Pro Quo!
Pope Benedict XVI
Holy See, Vatican
Rome, Italy
Your Holiness Pope,
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful[1]
(i) We, the Christian peoples of Malaysia as undersigned below, would like to obtain a holy decree from you ascertaining that the name of the Deity mentioned in the bible is indeed Allah.
(ii) For more than 20 centuries this Deity has not been mentioned by name and we now understand that His holy name is Allah, the same one that has been used in the Quran of the Muslims.
(iii) In the event that we obtain this decree from you, we would also like to request that each and every copy of the bible in this world at present and the ones printed in the future shall bear the name Allah too.
(iv) What would your holy order be regarding the teachings of Allah as promulgated in the Quran seeing how, as mentioned in (i) above, this God is no different from ours. In particular what would your holiness imply as regards to dogmatic issues in the new testaments especially the ones formulated by Saul of Tarsus (who have never met Jesus in person) as opposed to ones whom this Allah directly teaches in the Quran.
We would more than appreciate it if you can respond favourably to this and have some indication dates on when can the world-wide bibles be re-printed with this name Allah in it, so that we ourslves may enjoy this name to be mentioned in our own bible here in Malaysia.
Thank You
We, the Christian Community of Malaysia as undersigned:-
Name Signature MyKad Number Cath.Membership Number
[1] We have even started the ball rolling, with the use of the Name here.
By,
Apocryphalist
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